Driver dies after medical episode on M1

Alex Moss
BBC News, Yorkshire
BBC The northbound and southbound carriageway of the M1 motorway with no traffic. A man is stood on one side of the road wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket.BBC
Initially, both sides of the motorway were shut but the northbound carriageway has since reopened

A driver has died after suffering a medical episode at the wheel and colliding with another car on the M1 near Wakefield.

The man, aged in his 70s, was driving a Kia EV3 when it swerved across the carriageway and struck the central reservation before hitting a Volkswagen Tiguan.

The collision happened between junction 41 for Carr Gate and 40 for the A638 Wakefield Road shortly after 08:00 BST.

The soutbound carriageway was later reopened, after being closed while police carried out their investigations.

The force said the driver was "believed to have suffered a medical episode while travelling in the first lane of the motorway."

He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

Officers are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision or the circumstances leading up to it and anyone with relevant video footage to get in touch.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.